Skip to main content
Products are the foundation of Dodo Payments. Whether you sell a one‑time download, a recurring subscription, or usage‑based access, you start by creating a product. Each product defines how it’s priced, presented at checkout, and fulfilled after purchase.

One‑Time

Charge once for lifetime access or a single deliverable.

Subscriptions

Bill on a schedule with trials, proration, and add‑ons.

Usage‑Based

Meter consumption and bill by actual usage.

​
Create a product

You can create products from the dashboard or via API. Choose the pricing model up‑front, One‑Time, Subscription, or Usage‑Based and then configure details. The pricing model can’t be changed later; create a new product if you need a different model.
1

Name & description

Provide a clear title and a concise value‑oriented description. Markdown is supported in descriptions.
Keep the first sentence customer‑facing and outcome‑oriented; it appears prominently in checkout.
Products
2

Pricing model & price

Select the pricing model:
  • One‑Time: Fixed price paid once.
  • Subscription: Recurring price with interval and optional trial.
  • Usage‑Based: Price derived from metered events.
Then set pricing:
  • Price: Base amount and currency.
  • Discount (%): Optional inline discount shown in checkout and invoices.
  • For subscriptions, set Repeat every (e.g., 1 month or 1 year) and Trial days if needed.
Changing price affects only new purchases. Existing subscriptions follow plan‑change rules.
3

Product media

Upload images to showcase the product on checkout and invoices. Supported PNG/JPG/WebP up to 3 MB. Reorder or replace any time.
4

Automated entitlements (Under Advanced Settings)

Attach fulfillment that activates automatically after payment:
  • License Keys: Issue and validate unique keys
  • File Downloads: Grant secure file access
  • Custom: Trigger your own entitlement logic via webhooks
Add or remove benefits as your offer evolves. Existing subscribers gain or lose access accordingly.

​
Variants and pricing options

Instead of variants under one product, create separate products for each pricing option (for example, Monthly and Yearly). You can present multiple products side‑by‑side in the same checkout and let customers switch between them.
This keeps APIs predictable and simplifies reporting. Each product has a single pricing model.

​
Managing products

You can manage products through the dashboard or programmatically via API. The API provides full control over product creation, updates, retrieval, image uploads, and archiving.

​
Dashboard Management

  • Update: Edit name, description, images, price, fields, and benefits at any time (pricing model is immutable).
  • Archive: Hide a product from new purchases without disrupting existing customers. You can unarchive later.

​
API Management

The following instructions allow you to create, update, manage, and retrieve products, including uploading images.
A product can be a one-time item or a subscription-based service. To create a new product, send a POST request to the /products endpoint with details such as name, description, price, currency, and whether it is a recurring product.For recurring products, set recurring: true and specify a billing_cycle (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly).

Create Product API

View detailed request and response structure in the Create Product API documentation.
To modify an existing product, send a PATCH request to the /products/{product_id} endpoint. You can update properties such as name, price, and description while keeping other details unchanged.Ensure that the product_id in the endpoint matches an existing product.

Update Product API

View detailed request and response structure in the Update Product API documentation.
You can fetch a list of products stored in your account using a GET request to the /products endpoint. This allows you to retrieve product details, including active and archived products.

Retrieve Products API

View detailed request and response structure in the Retrieve Products API documentation.
You can associate an image with a product by uploading it to AWS S3 using a pre-signed URL provided by the API. First, request an image upload URL from the /products/{product_id}/images endpoint, then use the provided URL to upload the image within 60 seconds.
The pre-signed URL expires in 60 seconds, so the image must be uploaded within that timeframe.
Once the pre-signed URL is received from the API, upload the image using the PUT method. This ensures secure and temporary access to AWS S3 for uploading the image.Supported libraries for uploading to S3:
  • Node.js: axios, node-fetch
  • Python: requests, boto3
  • Go: net/http
  • PHP: GuzzleHttp
  • Ruby: rest-client
If the upload is successful, AWS S3 will return a 200 OK status, indicating that the image has been stored successfully.

Upload Product Image API

View detailed request and response structure in the Upload Product Image API documentation.
If you no longer wish to display or use a product, you can archive it using a POST request to the /products/{product_id}/archive endpoint. This action hides the product but does not delete it permanently.

Archive Product API

View detailed request and response structure in the Archive Product API documentation.
If you need to restore an archived product, send a POST request to the /products/{product_id}/unarchive endpoint. This will reactivate the product and make it available for use again.

Unarchive Product API

View detailed request and response structure in the Unarchive Product API documentation.

​
Best practices

  • Start with clarity: Separate products for each pricing option (Monthly vs Yearly)
  • Use trials thoughtfully: Pair trials with onboarding to drive activation
  • Automate fulfillment: Use benefits and webhooks to deliver instantly
  • Tag with metadata: Store your system IDs for reconciliation
You’re ready to create products and start selling - one‑time, recurring, or by usage.